Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Platelet Poor Plasma (PPP) derived from autologous blood/BMA samples are well understood products generated for use in treating humans. The concentration of various growth factors and proteins with a potential therapeutic benefit in PRP and PPP reflects that found in the plasma or bone marrow. There are advantages to having a concentrated form of PRP (“PRPC”) and PPP (“PPC”) when used for the formation of clots in treating various pathologies. One approach to creating these products uses pressure as the motive force for driving PRP or PPP (segregated from blood/BMA via centrifugation) through a filter constructed of hollow fibers. Due to the relatively small sample volumes and the need for low-cost single-use disposables, the hollow fiber filter system uses standard syringes to inject the sample and to extract the products. The processing of PPP or PRP in the hollow fiber device requires repetitive motions that can fatigue the operator. Consequently, there is a need for an automated system for use with generating PPC and PRPC.
Manual methods for pumping PPP or PRP through a hollow fiber device involve pressing on a syringe plunger to force fluid from the syringe through the hollow fiber “bed” with enough force to create a pressure gradient that “pushes” water out of the fluid and through the walls of the hollow fibers, thereby “dewatering” the fluid, since proteins and some growth factors are not able to pass through the pores of the hollow fibers. The effort to “pump” fluid from one syringe to the other, while maintaining sufficient force to efficiently “dewater” the fluid is laborious and cumbersome. The inventive device replaces the need for the operator to pump the fluid in the system manually, since the pneumatic mechanism will push the plungers in sequence to force the fluid from one syringe to the other. The existing disposable device design and operating principle remains the same so there is no change in the disposable device in order to utilize the inventive device. Appropriate controls will be built into the device in order to provide additional control for concentrating the PPP or PRP (or other therapeutic fluids).